Skip to main content

Analysis of Drunk

Synopsis= Despite being a short poem, Duffy is conveying a literal and metaphorical message within 'Drunk' by demonstrating the reasons for and effects of using escapism's, in this case in the form of alcohol. Some critics see the intoxication of the speaker as being metaphorical of a broken relationship.

 Key Quotations + Analysis=
Suddenly the rain is hilarious
The moon wobbles in the dusk

What a laugh. Unseen frogs
belch in the damp grass

The strange perfumes of darkening trees.
Cheap red wine

and the whole world a mouth.
Give me a double, a kiss.

1.) "The moon wobbles"
  • Alcohol has distorted the speakers vision, they cant see straight as they cannot see past the broken relationship. The word choice "wobble" is somewhat immature which could connote that the speaker uses alcohol to become more joyous and humorous. The moon is symbolic of many things 
  1. Insanity= The speaker feels delusional which we could evidently blame on the alcohol which often turns an individual disorientated, however one could reverse this and imply that the effects of the relationship could be turning the speaker insane and therefore the alcohol acts as a device to keep her sane 
  2. Guiding light= The moon often acts as a guiding light however the fact that it wobbles demonstrates that this guiding figure is blurred for the speaker making it difficult to go in the right direction.
2.) "Unseen frogs"
  • This line could have a possible reference to the fairy tale allegory where a princess kisses a frog and discovers a prince, this could connote that there is a world out there full of men for the speaker, however the word choice "unseen" gives a sinister connotation as it could imply that the other men the speaker may encounter may not be pleasant.

3.) "Cheap red wine"
  • This gives the alcohol a meaningless association as it emphasises that the type of alcohol does not matter to the speaker it is the quantity of it. The purpose of the alcohol is to not enjoy a flavour but to get drunk to mask pain, they are more bothered about the feeling that alcohol gives as opposed to the alcohol itself. One could say the speaker is drowning their sorrows.

4.) "Whole world a mouth"
  • This is an ambiguous line and it could have many connotations and links, it could suggest that the speaker is surrounded and overwhelmed by possible sexual encounters that could be beyond the restricting relationship, it could also be a reference to how the world consumes people.
  • It could also link to alcohol in how the speaker is not alone in using alcohol as an escapism, the whole world uses drinking as a way to escape.
Links to other poems= 
The suicide= Both speakers desperately crave an escape from their situation, the escapism used in the suicide is more sinister and abrupt than in Drunk
Valentine= Both speakers state that they are victims of a broken and truthful love



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Analysis of First Love

Synopsis= Duffy focuses this poem on the impact that is left after going through a first love and the surreal feeling of falling in love that takes over a persona briefly. It is clear to see in this poem that the speaker is now disconnected from their first love but the memories of it are reflected on nostalgically and with pleasure Key Quotations + Analysis= Waking, with a dream of first love forming real words, as close to my lips as lipstick, I speaker your name, after a silence of years, into the pillow, and the power of your name brings me here to the window, naked, to say it again to a garden shaking with light. This was a child's love, and yet I clench my eyes  till the pictures return, unfocused at first, then almost clear, an old film played at a slow speed. All day I will glimpse it, in windows of changing sky,   in mirrors, my lover's eyes, wherever you are. And later a star, long dead , here seems precisely  the size of a tear. Tonig
Post a Comment
Read more

Analysis of Captain of the 1964 Top of the Form Team

Synopsis= The programme "Top of the Form" was a BBC radio and TV quiz for secondary schools in the UK running from 1948-1986. Therefore this poem is based upon a speaker who was on this programme during the 60's and won, however since this victory they have been unable to move past this moment of their childhood and this theme is prevalent throughout the poem. Key Quotations + Analysis= 1.) "Fizzing hope" "Fizzing" has connotations of sugary/fizzy drinks such as coke, which has further allusions to childhood as this was a drink commonly consumed during our school years.  The word choice fizzing also suggests that the speaker believes his youth was so special it was worth celebrating as champagne bottles are also known as "fizz". However it is significant that over time a fizz dies out and becomes flat, which mimics the significance of his memories. They are still "fizzing" to him but to everyone else they are flat.  2.) &
Post a Comment
Read more

Analysis of The Cliche Kid

Synopsis= Duffy uses this poem to explore the themes of mental health and isolation amongst young people and could be perhaps expressing the daily pressures that young people face and the detrimental effects attached to them, shown through the speaker of the poem who is clearly in a deviated mental health state. Key Quotations + Analysis 1.) "The rustle of my fathers ballgown" This initially gives an extremely distorted image of the speakers childhood as they have obviously blurred the gender roles of their mother and father, this distortion could imply that the speaker has lost grip of their identity and do not have clear grasp on what gender role they fit in as they are so lost within cliche/stereotypical perceptions of gender that they are unaware of how to act. This further conveys the emotional turmoil of the speaker because they are confused in their own body.  The word choice "rustle" is significant as it is such a precise sound to remember yet the spe
Post a Comment
Read more